Corn-husking machine.



J. E. GOODHUE.

CORN HUSKING MACHINE.

APPLIUATION FILED mn. 24. 1909.

Patented Dec21, 1909.

J. E. GooDHUB.'

CORN HUSKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION Hum MAB. 24, 190e.

Patented Dec. 21, 1909.'

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

aus of.'

J. OODHUB.

CORN

ING MACHINE.

Patented Dec. 21, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Patented Dec. 21, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

that

JAMES E. GOODI-IUE, OF ST. CHARLES, ILLINOIS.

CORN-HUSKING MACHINE.

arabes.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES E. Geom-IUE, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Charles, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Corn-Husking Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates te improvement in cmfn-husking mechanism generally and more especially te such mechanism forming an integral part of a machine for gathering ears of cern from stalks .left standing in the eld.

My object is to provide certain improvements in husking devices of the type shown and described, for example, in Letters Patent No. 762,523, granted to me June 11, 1901, for the purpose of simplifying the construction and rendering the operation thereof more perfect, as well as adapting the mechanism for consolidation and cooperation with a cern-harvester of the type and general construction shown and described in Letters Patent No. 788,205, granted te me April 25, 1905.

In the drawings-Figure 1 is a combined corn-harvesting and husking machine, the mechanism more directly involved in my present improvements being' shown in full lines; Fig. 2, an enlarged, broken, eonventional and partly sectional view of the husking portion of the machine; Fig'. 3, an enlarged cross-section through the husking mechanism; Fig. 1, a broken plan view taken on irregular lines 1 1 in Fig. 3; and Figs. 5 and 6, bi'eken perspective detail views of parts entering into the construction of the husking mechanism.

The main frame carrying all the harvesting and husking mechanism is journaled and suitably7 balanced upon the axle 7 of the traction-wheels 8.` Forming a part of the frame are the usual forvardextending wings 9 and 10 shed with pick-up points 11 and serving to guide standing corn-stalks inte the bite ef forwardly-inclined snapping-rollers 12.

The snapping-rollers may be constructed like. and operate the same as, those shown and described in my aforesaid patent No. 7 88,205. rlhe main driving cross-shaft 13 of the machine carries sprocket pinions 11 driven by chains 15 frein sprocket-wheels 1G carried by the traction-Wheels 8. The ears Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 24, 1909.

Patented Dee. 21, 1909.

Serial No. 485,173.

upon an endless slatted conveyer-belt 17 running at its upper end around the propelling shaft 18. The shaft 18 is rotated by a sprocket thereon 19 engaging a traveling chain 20 driven from a sprocket en the flywheel shaft 21. 1t is to be understood that the fly-wheel shaft is geared to a gear-wheel 22 en the main shaft 13 and carries the usual fly-wheel 23. Mounted in the frame beneath the conveyer-belt 17 are two pairs of husking-rollers 21, 25, each roller 21 being formed with longitudinally extending grooves or recesses 26 between longitudinally-extending teeth 27 presenting cam-surfaces 28 at their forward sides. r1`he rollers 21 may be of approximately the same coustrnction as those for the same purpose shown and described in Letters Patent No. 683,171, granted to me September 21, Y1901. The rollers are provided at diametrically opposite sides with short pins 29 adapted to mesh with grooves 26 of the companionrellers 21. The shafts of the rollers 25 carry pinions 30 and bevel-pinions 31. r1`he pinions 30 mesh with pinions 3,2 en the shafts of the companien-rollers 21 and the bevelpiniens 31 mesh with the bevel-pinions 83 on a cross-shaft i-l which is driven by a sprm-,ket-clnrin 35 from the shaft. ll.

Moulded in the frame beyond the shaft. 18 of the conveyor 17 is a. forwardly inclined plate 8G forming ear straightening and distributing chutes 37, 237, terminating respectively just over the upper end pei'- tions of the inclined lnlsking-rollers. The chute device tends to distribute the ears te the two pairs ef husking rollers and straighten them out so that they will extend longitudinally as they pass en to the rollers. Between the upper sides of the rollers 21 and extending parallel therewith is a longitudinally-reciprocating ear-engaging and straightening bar 38 having a central upwardly-extending serrated rib 3S) and laterally-inclined serrated faces 10. The teeth en the parts 3f), 10, have abrupt forward edges 11 and inclined top or rear edges 12, as indicated in Fig. 2. Extending beneath the luisking-rollers is a slatted chain conveyer 13 riding en an inclined slotted platform 11 and driven from a shaft 15 which in turn is driven by a chain 16 from the shaft 18.

Mounted in the frame beyond the plate of corn snapped from the stalks by the l 80 is a rock-shaft 17 having a crank 18 at rollers 12 drop, 1n the present construction, l one end oscillated by means oit a pitman 1S) eccentrically connected with a disk 50 on one end of the shaft 45. The shaft 47 has a central crank 51 to which is pivotally secured a link 52 connected with the upper end of the ear-straightening bar 38. The plate 36 is secured between longitudinallyextending and forwardly-inclined upright side-boards 53 extending at their lower edges over and parallel with the rollers 25 at 6p."

posite sides of the conveyer 17. Mounted on each of the side-boards 53 is a-pair of upper ear-engaging presser-devices 54 and lower presser devices 55, each comprising a crank-arm 56 journaled to rock in a bearing 57 on the side-bar and provided at the outer side of the bar with a crank-arm 58 having an opening 59 through its free end portion. Each crank-arm 56 has secured thereto an angle-plate 60, the lower portion of which extends longitudinally of the husking-rollers and is provided on its under surface with burs or teeth, 61. The plates 60 extend centrally over the bites of the husking-rollers, as indicated. On the shaft 47 at the outer sides of the side-bars 53 are cranks 62 pivotally connected to which are longitudinally reciprocal rods 63 passing through the openings 59 of the crank-arms 58. Surrounding the rods 63 are springs 64 confined between washers 165 adjacent to Cotter-pins 65 on the rods and the forward faces of the crank-arms 58. Regulation or adjustment of the tension of the springs may be accomplished, as conditions require, by the substitution or addition of washers 165 adjacent to the Cotter-pins 65. The rods 63 also carry stops 66 at the rear sides of the crank-arms 58. The bearings 57 are provided with stops 157, as shown in Fig. 3, against which the crank-arms 58 rest to prevent the presser-device from contacting the rolls when it is in its innermost position.

Ears snapped from the stalks by the harvesting mechanism and elevated by the conveyer 17vare deposited thereby on to the plate 36 and distributed into the chutes 37 which direct the ears to the husking-rollers, as described. The reciprocating bar 38 tends to straighten out and advance any crosseXtending ears and deflect them to extend longitudinally 4over the bites of the huskingrollers. In the turning of the latter, the husks and silk of the ears are withdrawn therefrom and deposited upon the conveyer 43 and discharged from the machine lover the shaft 45. rl`he teeth or pins 29 on the rollers 25 aid in causing the teeth of the rollers 24 to engage the husks and silk. It frequently happens that the husks lie so closely over the kernels as to present no projecting portions which can be grasped by the husking-rollers under the weight of the ears. To overcome this diiiiculty, the presser devices 54, 55 are provided to work more especially in combination with the pins or teeth 29 on the rollers 25.

In each rocking movement of the shaft 47 the rods 63 are thrust forward to press the stops 66 against the crank-arms 58, thereby forcing the plates 60 upward to permit ears of corn, as they advance down the husking rollers, to pass to the under sides ofthe presser-plates. In the following backward swing of the crankarms 62 the presser-plates engage and press upon the ears, the burs or teeth 61 tending to hold the ears firmly against rotation while being acted upon by the teeth or pins 29 which tear the husks and drag portions thereof into the bites of the husking-rollers. After the plates contact with the ears, the rods 63 in their further backward movement compress the springs 64, thus producing the desired pressure maintained for a time sufliciently prolonged to insure action upon the ears of the pins 29, for the purpose stated. This same operation is repeated upon the ears as they pass beneath the lower presserdevices 55.

The construction involving the guidechutes 37, ear-straightening or positioning bar 39, tearing rollers, and positively oscillated presser devices constructed to operatel as described, are the most important features of my present improvements. EX- perience in the field has demonstrated that without them many ears of corn will be only partially husked or not husked at all, while with these improvements practically every ear is thoroughly husked.

rlhe pins 29 and teeth of the rollers 24 are sufficiently shallow and blunt to have little effect in the matter of loosening the kernels. As the husked ears pass from the lower ends of the husking-rollers, they fall on to a laterally extending conveyer 67, indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. Any kernels loosened from the ears and dropping between the husking-rollers on to the slotted platform 44 will fall through the openings in the latter on to a chute 68 from which they drop into a pan 7 3. Located in the position shown in Fig. 1 is a fan-blower 69 driven by a belt 70 from a pulley 71 on a shaft 72 carrying a sprocket-pinion engaged by the chain The blower discharges a blast of air through the path of kernels, etc., falling from fthe chute 68 into the pan 73, and sweeps out any dust and other like particles which would otherwise be deposited in the pan 73. To further insure the gripping of husks by the teeth 27 when torn by the pins 29, I have found it desirable in practice to form the rollers 25 with shallow elongated depressions, or pockets, between their rows of pins 29. The pockets on one side of each roller may be inclined as indicated at 74, while the pockets on the opposite side may extend approximately at a right angle to the length oili' the roller, ne indiezited at T5. Theee poeltets tend to engage und bend torn or loosened pints ot' the huslis downward into the bites` oi' the rollers' und cause them to be engaged by the teeth 27.

lhile I prefer to constructiny improvements throughout as Shown und described, they muy be variously modified in the matter ot' details ot construction Without departing from the spirit of my invention as defined by the eluim.

What l elaim ne new und desire to secure by Letters Patent is- In :L corn-husking machine7 the combination with u tranne provided with side-bars, of u pair of inclined und (zo-noting huskingrolls journuled on said frame and along which rolle the ears to be hushed are moved, n beuring on one of Suid side-bars provided with u stop, un eur gripping und releasing presser-device over the bite oli the rolls provided with n crunk extending through Suid bearing and eonlined to rook freely therein, zi Crunk-arm on Suid crunk beyond the Sidebar adapted to engage Suid Stop, :t rod engaging Suid eralnli-urm, provided with :t Stop ut one side of the arm, :r Spring Surrounding the rod :it the other side of the erin, means on the rod for adjusting the tension of the Spring, und means for oseilluting said rod to press Suid device intermittingly into gripping engagement with the ears on the rolls to hold the ears during euch engagement against. movement upon the rolls)` for the purpose set forth.

R. A. RAYMoND, J. ANDERSON. 

